JCoS Topic - Be Professional “Professionalism, an Arkansas National Guard Value, encompasses selfless service, empowerment, stewardship, and excellence in all we do.” What does it mean to be a member of a Profession? What are the characteristics of a Professional? How does this commitment relate to our duty, our service and our conduct? After a decade of conflict our United States Army explored these questions with a study of their Profession of Arms; resulting in a new understanding of what this service means and the characteristics we should emulate. Since professionalism is one of our Arkansas National Guard values, this posting focuses on these questions, and the answers I found in Army, Air Force, and Joint military doctrine and guidance. Yes, we are in a profession; a unique Profession of Arms, requiring a 24/7 commitment to serve our Communities, State and Nation while adhering to a specific ethical code of conduct at all times. The common definition of a profession is “a trusted self-policing and relatively autonomous vocation whose members develop and apply expert knowledge and expertise to render an essential service to society in a particular field.” As members of the National Guard we are a trusted organization; unique in our mission to “Provide Trained and Ready Professionals and Units Responsive to the Needs of the Nation, State, and Community.” Additionally, there are five aspects to our profession that include: • Providing a unique and vital service to our State and Nation that it cannot provide for itself • Providing this service with a specific expertise, knowledge, and skill • Earning the trust of our State and Nation with the effective and ethical application of our expertise • Self-regulating and policing each other to ensure we are effective and ethical to include the education and certification of our members • Being granted significant autonomy and discretion in our practice of expertise on behalf of the State and Nation Indeed, our service is unique and vital as we respond to either the needs of the State and the Nation. In fact, ours is the only military profession that requires preparing our members with the expertise, knowledge, and skills for these two specific missions; making us even more unique than Active Duty or other Reserve Components. But with this unique responsibility comes the requirement for integrity and selfless service in order to successfully provide our service effectively and ethically. Further expanding our unique National Guard definition, both Army and Air Force leaders believe that our military profession requires integrity and selfless service. According to the Chief of Staff of the Army, a military professional is a member of an organization that includes the certification criteria of competence, character, and commitment. Whether they are uniformed or civilian, they are an expert; bonded with comrades in a shared identity and culture of sacrifice and service, adhering to the highest standards of our military ethic. The Air Force Core Values also include this belief of service and sacrifice, in their charge that their military service, an uncommon profession, calls for enduring commitment, dedication to the mission, and a requirement to place the needs of the Air Force and the Nation above their own. Additionally, members of the Air Force rely on the bedrock foundation of integrity in all that they do to remain an effective and ethical military profession. To wrap this up in a “Joint” manner, I refer to General Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who in his Chairman’s Strategic Direction to the Joint Force stated, “We are military professionals – every officer, enlisted, and civilian – not because we say so, but because of how we serve.” This speaks to a specific set of characteristics that professionals display, and as luck would have it, the Army offers five characteristics for us to consider. Within the Army Doctrine Reference Publication (ADRP) 1, the Army Profession, five essential characteristics of the military professional are described as: 1. Military Expertise - Our ethical application of expertise, skills and power. 2. Honorable Service - Our noble calling to service and sacrifice. 3. Trust - The bedrock of our profession. 4. Esprit de Corps - Our winning spirit. 5. Stewardship of the Profession - Our long-term responsibility. Although these are Army concepts, they seem to apply to all members of the Arkansas National Guard when reviewing the key concepts woven within our Army and Air Force ideals of professionalism. We all are part of a unique mission requiring the ethical application of our specific expertise and capabilities. No matter what service, rank or role, we all aspire to this call of service and sacrifice based on the bedrock of integrity and trust. Additionally, esprit de corp and stewardship are critical and essential for an effective National Guard. Bottom line, our joint value of professionalism speaks to several of these characteristics as it challenges us to selfless service, empowerment, stewardship, and excellence in all we do. Yes, we are members of a profession. It is truly unique, requires a special set of skills and expertise, and requires the 24/7 dedication of us all to selfless service, trust, stewardship and excellence in all that we do. I invite you to discuss our need for professionalism, these concepts, and the characteristics that make us unique with your leaders and staff/unit members when you can to ensure we are constantly reminded or our professional commitments, today and always. References: 1. ADRP 1, The Army Profession 2. Information Paper, The FY14 America’s Army – Our Profession, “Stand Strong” Program by Mr. Patrick Toffler 3. Air Force Core Values 4. Chairman’s Strategic Direction to the Joint Force by GEN Martin E. Dempsey 5. The Arkansas National Guard Strategic Plan
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 11:54:49 +0000
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